This isn't a spooky story. But I definitely had an ADHD Meltdown.

It started out with a school holiday and ended with me questioning the direction of my entire life and business.

This is the story and what I did to dig my way out of it - with a teensy* bit of ADHD science thrown in.

Link to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD

adhd-enclave.mn.co/feed">Link to The ADHD Enclave

Several years ago when I was writing more posts about homemaking someone suggested I produce an ADHD Home Management binder. I laughed. A lot. Because I am absolutely not an expert on managing a home with or without ADHD.

But I will say I've come to terms with how ADHD affects my ability to manage my home. And I've developed systems that work FOR ME. I don't claim to know how to help everyone.

In this podcast episode I discuss simple household management and cleaning schedules. 

I'll break down five ways to simplify your home management, including:

• Plan less. Stop making massive to-do lists.
• Cook less. Simplify your meal planning and cooking.
• Choose just one planner or calendar.
• One day per week take a break from household chores.
• Limit your use of apps on your phone. The more apps you have to check-in with each day, the more time you will spend on said apps. 

The second part of the podcast is around cleaning schedules.

I have women ask me every day for specific cleaning schedules, tips, hacks etc. I don't do hacks, I can only tell you what works for me.

The Bottom Line is this : DO WHAT YOU CAN, WHEN YOU CAN. That's it. Keep it that simple.

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (The book I couldn't remember in the podcast!) 

Clutter Bug - so much fun

A Slob Comes Clean - more organizing fun

adhd-enclave.mn.co/feed">Join the Enclave and hang out with us while we work toward a calmer, more satisfying life WITH ADHD.

This is the podcast version of one of my most popular posts. 

I talk to a lot of women with ADHD. Some of then work at home, some of them work in the home. No matter what form of, "work" my community members do, they are always working extremely hard. In some respects harder than their neurotypical counterparts.

Listen as I break down the four most common complaints I hear from ADHD women at home:

1. Organizational difficulties. Either we don't know how to start or we get hyperfocused and burn ourselves out before the job is done.
2. Working memory issues. It's hard to get anything done when you cannot remember what you were thinking thirty seconds ago. When your thoughts, ideas, and inspiration are constantly in flux it leads to overwhelm. (And low motivation)
3. Avoidance. Umm we don't like to do boring things. Cleaning, homemaking, and organizing is boring. 
4. Multitasking/lack of awareness. In an attempt to overcompensate, many of us start multitasking. In doing so we miss critical information and interactions with the people in our homes. And we also do annoying things like leaving every cabinet door in the kitchen hanging open.

The bottom line: Stop comparing yourself to other people. Accept what is. Sometimes good enough is good enough.

And don't forget to laugh.

There are millions articles online about parenting ADHD children, but there are very few about Parents With ADHD.

I've written about it. ADDitude Magazine has had some coverage of it. But there is not a lot of research available about how having ADHD as an adult impacts our ability to parent.

As you can imagine, I got REALLY excited when I noticed Dr. Marcy Caldwell's session on the 2019 ADHD Conference website.

Her session is entitled, Permission Slips, Lunches, Bedtimes and Beyond: Strategies for Surviving Parenthood with ADHD.

You know me when I get excited! I fired off an email to Dr. Caldwell asking her to be on the podcast and spilling my guts about this website and my interest in parenting WITH ADHD.

After we got our schedules aligned we talked. And the results are this amazing podcast episode.

When we have kids our own issues become amplified.

In this episode you will hear:

• Why life management is where we need to start
• Calming the chaos can actually be very emotional
• Why you can't just focus on practical strategies without working on the emotional side at the same time
• The struggle to juggle all the balls as a parent with ADHD
• Why distracted parenting is a big problem for us
• How being a parent with ADHD might be an advantage if your child also has ADHD
• The role of self-care in being the parent you want to be (and treating your ADHD)

For more info or to contact Dr. Caldwell:

Dr. Marcy Caldwell

Rittenhouse Psychological Assessments

 Meal planning is only hard if you make it that way. There I said it.

This is going to be a practical, straight-forward lesson on meal planning for busy women. 

I am doing a pop-up at this year's ADHD Conference about meal planning. Because I'm good at it and well...I love it.

This is the breakdown:

• Stock your kitchen - make sure all you/your family's favorite foods are on hand. (This makes your life easier when you don't have an actual plan) 
• Keep it simple - do not cook every day, do not try fancy recipes that require 25 ingredients
• Use the magic of the interwebs to find easy recipes, OR
• Start with a protein, then add side dishes
• Don't force yourself to meal prep, even though it's trendy
• Always shop with a grocery list (favorite foods + what you need to make a couple meals)
• Tools of the trade - crock pots, Instant pots (affiliate link) and toaster ovens
• Meal planning services are affordable and NOT a luxury
• Consider grocery pick-up or delivery because it will save your sanity

Here is the link to the 2019 ADHD Conference - Come and hang out with me, Dani Donovan, and Jessica McCabe from How to ADHD.

Here is the link to my inexpensive ebook collection - Including my Meal Planning ebook

adhd-enclave.mn.co/feed">Link to the ADHD Enclave - to hang out with me and my girls

Same podcast, new name.

In this episode I talk about some of the limiting beliefs and fears that have impacted my life and my business.

Then I delve into the top 6 limiting beliefs I hear from ADHD women. Including

• Everyone is judging me
• I cannot/will not be successful
• I'm not worthy or deserving
• I always experience rejection
• It's too late to make changes in my life
• I'm not strong enough to change/handle my life

Just a heads up: These are all BS. 

adhd-enclave.mn.co/feed">LINK TO MY PRIVATE COMMUNITY

LINK TO THE ADHD CONFERENCE

The audio version of the written post.

Not a post about ADHD. Or at least, not directly.

We with ADHD often see things in black and white ways, so letting go of people and beliefs can be quite difficult for us.

If you’re anything like me, you don’t catch the lessons that are layered in the middle of the shit sandwich. A lost relationship, or personal failure, is very hard for us to come back from and we have trouble seeing how any of our current suffering might benefit us in the future.

I was going to call this episode something funny like "Lets talk about (ADHD) SEX."  Just to get people's attention. 

But then I decided to behave like a professional and name it after Dr. Ari Tuckman's new book, ADHD After Dark.

About a year ago I walked up to Dr. Tuckman after hearing him speak and sort of got all fan-girl on him. But he was really nice about it, and didn't even seem freaked out when I emailed him randomly and asked if he would talk about his book on my podcast. So we scheduled a time AND I enlisted the Hubs to talk about our sex life. 

I'll be writing a more detailed post about ADHD relationships, sex, and Dr. Tuckman's book in the future. 

For now, enjoy this funny but also VERY informative conversation. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The origins, and results of Dr. Tuckman's sex survey
• The ADHD effect on relationships and sexual satisfaction
• Gender differences in, "mixed" ADHD couples 
• The sexual eagerness cluster in men & women
• The importance of managing ADHD 
• All the ways ADHD squeezes out time for sex
• The parent-child dynamic
• My sex life (if you are curious)

ADHD AFTER DARK - link to buy

MORE ATTENTION, LESS DEFICIT - link to buy

UNDERSTAND YOUR BRAIN, GET MORE DONE (EF WORKBOOK) - Link to buy

Do you LOVE what you do? I mean really, really love it. Like you wake up on Monday morning and you are so excited to start another week.

Ooooh here's another question: How many careers have you had?

We with ADHD tend to have a fraught relationship with work. 

Our interests and passions are forever changing. Even work we love can become routine and boring. And with ADHD boredom = inaction.

Shell Mendelson is an ADHD coach with a background in vocational counseling - and yes, she has ADHD! 

Listen in as she talks about :

• Her own diagnosis in her 50s
• The super successful business she created that ultimately FAILED
• Her training in the, "Parachute Method" from Richard Bolles
• The role of childhood passions in finding adult fulfillment
• Self-accommodation at work
• The importance of environment/working conditions for ADHD folks
• The true purpose of an interview
• How we limit ourselves based on our perceived limitations

And enjoy listening to Liz get some career coaching of her own.